Domus
by AccioVoldemortsNose
Summary: After Loki let go, Elsa found herself saddened and alone. But when Thor learns of Loki's arrival on Midgard, she accompanies him to bring him home. But they'll have to get along with the Avengers first. *Sequel to "Elsa."*
1. Prologue

**Welcome back, everyone!**

**First of all, if you don't know who Elsa is, you should read "Elsa." It would explain what's going on.**

**Second, I own nothing you recognize.**

**And third, enjoy!**

* * *

**Prologue**

Elsa sat in the secluded area of the forest. A spring breeze blew through her awkwardly wavy dark brown hair and attempted to turn the page of the book she read. Flowers were blooming around her and the sun peeked through the tops of the trees, casting rays of light across the grass she sat upon.

It was a strange sight to find Elsa not accompanied by her bow and quiver filled with magically created arrows. It was odd how she was reading and not hunting like she would normally in the forest. And the weirdest part was that she was wearing a long green gown seeing as she only wore dresses when necessary.

A pair of arms snaked around her waist and she felt their owner's chin rest upon her right shoulder, looking down at her book.

"Shakespeare," muttered Loki. "I have always been fond of his work. Most Midgardians write the most unpleasant works, I however find his fascinating."

"I never thought you read anything by morals," answered Elsa, turning the page.

"I read many things, dear Elsa."

He placed a soft kiss underneath her ear. Elsa smiled to herself.

"I miss you," she said, leaning back into him. His grip on her waist tightened as he held her close.

Loki didn't answer as he took the book from her hands and placed it gently on the ground. Elsa twisted around in his arms and found that her face was close to his, their foreheads touching.

The two both slowly leaned forward until their lips touched.

Then everything went black and Elsa woke up.


	2. Chapter One

**I'm so so so sorry it took me this long. I'm just so busy and I only really had time to write for Complications. I hope you can all understand. **

**littledhampir13: Yes, this is during the Avengers. I'm super excited because I love all of the different personalities. **

**Annie: Thank you! :D**

**Silvertail of shoreclan: I'm sorry! Hopefully this isn't as horrible.**

**loki charms: I'm sorry! Thank you! I love your name by the way.**

**blown-transisitor: Hahaha perhaps because Doctor Who makes everyone so emotional. **

**Kat7CA: I'm sorry I took so long!**

**Justasmalltowngirl2713: Hahahaha I think of donuts but that works too. I am very lucky. You're an awesome friend.**

**Guest: Wow, thank you very much! I'm glad you're that happy!**

**K9Train: Haha I like that.**

**Guest: I'M SORRY. I did it now though.**

**yunadustrial . twifan: Thank you! Hopefully this won't disappoint.**

**Guest: Sorry! I hope this is enough for you for now.**

* * *

**Chapter One**

Sparring with Sif and the Warriors Three was always a good time. It was a way to clear Elsa's head and a way to help her forget yet another dream of the late Loki she had the night before. She was constantly dreaming of him and it always ended the same way. They would kiss and then she'd wake up. It was torturous.

Elsa was brought back to the present as Fandral made a jab at her with a sword. She dodged by bending down, her brown ponytail flipping over her head, and then kicked him in the lower stomach. He doubled over and dropped the sword. Elsa took this moment to elbow his back where his armor didn't cover and watched as he fell down. She the put a foot on his back and pulled back the arrow she had notched on her bow. Reciting an incantation in her head, the arrow became engulfed in flames.

"Magic is not fair!" cried Fandral as he attempted to reach for his sword.

Volstagg's hearty laugh was heard. "Magic is as much of a weapon as her bow."

Elsa smiled in triumph and took her foot off of Fandral's back. She extinguished the flame with a spell and placed it back in her quiver. She then stepped back to the edge of the arena where Volstagg was smiling happily with a leg of something in his hand, Hogun was frowning and Sif was laughing.

"I demand a rematch!" shouted Fandral as he got up, clutching his stomach.

"Again?" asked Elsa, mockingly.

The sound of a bell changed the subject.

"Lunch is served!" exclaimed Volstagg.

He got up faster than the Bifrost travels and was followed by the rest of the Warriors Three towards the palace. Elsa let out a deep breath and went outside the sparring arena where Sif was now finishing up polishing her spear.

Elsa grabbed the book that sat on the ground, the one Thor had given her after finding it in Loki's chambers. It was this book that had taught her so much about magic and had allowed her to explore the gift she never knew she had. She was always testing new things while sparring and occasionally set fire to someone's hair, but that was the worst it got.

"Do you know where Thor is?" asked Sif.

Elsa shook her head. "I haven't a clue. He's probably already eating."

Sif nodded but kept her eye on Elsa without the archer knowing. Elsa put her quiver over her shoulder as well as her bow and clutched the book to her chest as she turned back to Sif.

"Are you coming?" asked Elsa.

"Of course," answered Sif.

Sif stood up and put away her shield and spear before walking out of the sparring arena with Elsa.

The two had been spending quite a lot of time together ever since Elsa had finally become Asgard's second female warrior. It had been a short and easy process. All she did was swear to a set of vows spoken by the All-father and she then received the title of warrior. Since then she had been trying her best with other forms of fighting just in case she didn't have her bow and arrows and seeing as Sif was the nicest of her friends, it was only logical that she be the one to help Elsa.

Of course, Thor would've been an option, but he was busy helping his father after the events that led to the Bifrost's destruction. Elsa and the thunder god had become very close at this point, now that he was no longer an arrogant warrior but a wise prince. He had learned a lot through his banishment and Elsa respected him for that. The two also became close from grieving seeing as they both lost someone dear to them. The two tried their best to cheer each other up when the other was down. Occasionally Elsa would find herself simply sitting at the broken end of the rainbow bridge while Heimdall continued to look throughout the nine realms.

At last, Elsa and Sif made it to the dining hall. Several seats were filled, the one at the head of the table being the lovable Frigga. The Queen wore a smile on her face as she conversed with the women around her. Volstagg's hearty laugh could be heard echoing off the golden walls as he joked with Fandral and Hogun. Elsa could make out Thor's blonde head sitting with the Warriors Three, smiling along with them.

Elsa and Sif found chairs nearby their friends and say down. Elsa was quiet as always, observing everyone instead of participating in conversation. Normally at lunch, if she were at the palace, she would be with Loki, eating their food in some private space where they had their own fun of magic tricks and discussing books. But ever since he died, Elsa was forced to eat with everyone else. She had tried continuing the same routine, but the others feared that would be bad for her, so they dragged her to the palace. But no one minded that she kept to herself. She didn't really have anything to say.

"Do you agree, Elsa?"

The archer looked up at the mention of her name and saw several people looking at her, Fandral being the one that spoke.

"Oh, uh, yes," she answered quickly.

Fandral gave a smile. "So you agree that Surtur could easily take Thor?"

Elsa gave a glance at Thor who was rolling his eyes, but had a joking smile on his lips.

"Get lost in your thoughts again?" asked Volstagg, ripping meat off a bone with his teeth.

"Leave her alone," said Sif. "She has no need for your teasing."

"It's fine, Sif," replied Elsa. "In fact, I ought to be heading home."

"Why?" asked Fandral.

"My mother needs help with some cleaning."

It was a lie, and a rather poor one, but it seemed to work. The only person who seemed unconvinced was Thor, but he didn't stop her. He knew where she was going.

* * *

One horse ride later and Elsa was at the end of the rainbow bridge. Heimdall stood there, tall as ever. His golden sword was pointed downwards as he stared across the stars. Elsa got off of her horse and strode over to the edge. Heimdall remained quiet as she sat down, letting her legs dangle off.

"This is becoming a habit of yours."

Elsa looked up when she heard the Gatekeeper's deep voice, but he wasn't looking at her.

"It's where he died," she answered. "It's the last place he saw. Is he in Valhalla?"

"No," was Heimdall's short reply.

"I thought so. Is he with Hel?"

"No."

Elsa furrowed her brow. "Well, he has to be somewhere. It is not possible that he could be floating around aimlessly."

"There is always hope in the future."

Elsa looked up again and she could've sworn she saw Heimdall wink. However, she turned away and went back to staring at nothing. Heimdall had to be lying. Loki was dead. There was no future for him. Maybe this was some sick joke that everyone was in on to get revenge for Loki's mischief. But that wouldn't be it either. Elsa had shown loyalty to Asgard instead of Loki. Had she done things differently, the people would most likely view her in a more negative way. This wasn't a joke. But Elsa still didn't understand.

With a huff, she got up and went back to her horse. After mounting it, she took one more look at Heimdall who was still in the same stance. She wished it was easier to read him. But instead of contemplating things further, Elsa took off towards the stables.

* * *

Elsa found herself lost in her thoughts as she headed back towards her home in the nicknamed Outerland. Leaves of the Asgardian forest she walked through crunched under her boots with each step. Animals scurried about and light shined through holes in the branches of trees. Elsa sighed as she took in the smell of the forest before finally reaching the village. Like always, cabins lined up on each side with a large fire pit in the center. Old Jebdah was still going about his job of gathering firewood. The slightly insane Olga was nowhere to be seen which was never a good sign.

"Good afternoon, Elsa," greeted Jebdah gruffly as the archer passed.

"Good afternoon," she replied politely.

At last she made it to her cabin on the far side. She climbed up the steps and opened the door to find herself in the kitchen and dining area. Elsa wondered what would've happened had she accepted the offer from Odin to live in the palace now that she was a warrior. She had refused, of course, knowing that her mother, Sabi, would much prefer to stay. And there was no way that Elsa was going to let the annoying Eris get her wish of living in the palace. That was exactly what the cunning blonde wanted.

"Elsa?" came Sabi's voice from the back. "Is that you?"

"It is, mother!" Elsa called back.

She heard footsteps as she moved about the room to greet her mother as she came in. Sabi's blonde hair was pulled back into a bun and her face looked like it was several decades younger now that she no longer had the stress of a prophecy weighing on her shoulders. Not to mention having a new, and good, relationship with her eldest daughter helped.

"I am glad you are back," said Sabi as she went to wash her hands off. "Eira invited me to attend a small feast with the healers and I need you to make sure Eris does not wander off."

"Where is she now?"

"She should be with Lofn until sundown. If she is not home, could you please look for her?"

Elsa nodded. "Of course, mother."

"Thank you."

Sabi finished cleaning up and went to go change as Elsa retreated to her bedroom. She placed her quiver and bow on her bed and sat down. Her mind kept going back to her conversation with Heimdall. What in the world had he been hinting at? Was Loki alive? He couldn't be. Both Thor and Odin had seen him let go and fall into an abyss. He was gone. But something told her that perhaps fate had taken a different direction.

Oh how the Norns were torturing her today.

* * *

"Talk to me, Doctor."

A dark skinned man wearing all black strode into a large research facility where machines were flashing lights and collecting data. People moved around frantically. An older man wearing a button down shirt and tie came out from behind one of the machines.

"Director," he said and began walking towards the other man.

"Is there anything we know for certain?" asked the first man.

"The Tesseract is misbehaving."

A scientist stuck a pointed object a glowing blue cube only for it to get shocked, forcing him to back up.

"Is that supposed to be funny?" asked the first man.

"No, it's not funny at all," replied the second as the two started walking towards the cube. "The Tesseract is not only active, she's...behaving."

"How soon do you pull the plug?"

"She's an energy source. We turn off the power, she turns it back on. If she reaches peak level-"

"You've prepared for this, Doctor. Harnessing energy from space."

"We don't have the harness. My calculations are far from complete. She's throwing off interference; radiation. Nothing harmful, low levels of gamma radiation."

"That can be harmful. Where's Agent Barton?"

The second man scoffed. "The hawk? In his nest as usual."

The first man looked up to see Agent Barton sitting up on a balcony high above the action.

"Agent Barton, report."

Barton quickly got up and slid down a rope before heading over to the others.

"I gave you this detail so you could keep a close eye on things," said the dark man.

"I see better from a distance," replied Barton as the two walked towards the cube.

"Have you seen anything that might set this thing off?"

"Doctors," said another NASA scientist, "it's spiking again."

"No one's come and gone and Selvig's clean, no contacts, no IMs," listed Barton, "if there was any tampering, sir, it wasn't on this end."

The first man gave Barton a strange look. "At this end?"

"Yeah, the cube is a doorway to the other end of space, right? Doors open from both sides."

Out of nowhere, the cube started making noises and glowing brighter, causing the floor to shake under everyone's feet. The whole facility shook as the energy became too much for it to handle. Everyone watched in silence as the Tesseract "behaved." Suddenly, a large beam of blue light shot out of it towards the end of the room where a large circle ripped through the air. It nearly exploded, sending energy past all the people in the room like a gust of wind. Standing where the circle had been seemed to be a man. A man none of these people knew. A man who didn't belong on this planet. A man that had been thought dead.

Loki of Asgard.


	3. Chapter Two

**Gosh I am sooooo sorry. I'm not going to waste your time with excuses, but I really didn't have a lot of time to write for this story. Thanks to all of you for being so patient. On a side note, I hope everyone has a lovely Thanksgiving and is careful if they go out for black friday!**

**LianaDare8: -laughs awkwardly- sorry I didn't update soon.**

**MusicManiacGirl: And more Loki!**

**musicluver246: Thank you! Sorry for taking so long.**

**LetsTwistAnotherFairyTale: I can't wait either haha. You'll have to read to find out!**

**Justasmalltowngirl2713: Haha I did put that in there just for you. I thought you'd like it.**

**Kat7CA: Sorry it took so long and thank you!**

**YellowHawk: Thank you so much! I'll make sure to keep up the Loki work :)**

**Sioux 3 Loki: Thank you! I agree, there are so many Loki/OC fics and only a handful are really good.**

**hogwartsismyhome: Thank you do much! I'm very glad to hear that.**

**Guest: I'm sorry I drove you crazy. But good news, here's an update!**

**team-dragon-lover: Haha he sure is hot.**

**General of the BVB Army: I promise this will soon!**

**JulietHunterson: Thank you very much! :D**

**Clodagh: Thank you so much! :D**

**commandoclowns: Don't worry, there's more!**

* * *

**Chapter Two**

It was yet another beautiful day in Asgard and Elsa found herself at the archery range. She was all alone as she continually shot her arrows, using her magic to hit the bullseye every time with a thump.

She sighed as she let her last arrow go and watched it once again hit the center. It was one of those days for her. One of those days where she found herself incredibly saddened. On these days she shot her arrows at the target over and over again until it became dark or someone came to take her away. But until then it was just her, her bow and her arrows.

Was this really how she was going to spend her days? She didn't want to feel this weak. Warriors couldn't be weak. They couldn't let personal problems bother them. But every time Elsa was happy or having a good time with friends, she'd always think of something that Loki would have said or done. She'd notice the things he would laugh at or the people he'd glare at. Then she'd remember everything again and would have to fake her way through the rest of the day.

In all honesty, it was getting worse. Elsa was beginning to really come to terms with Loki being gone. For weeks she felt as though he was simply in another realm by the demand of the All-father, but as more time went by, she started coming to terms with the fact he wasn't. Loki wasn't coming back.

Lost in her thoughts, Elsa hadn't realized how dark it had gotten. She was pretty sure she missed dinner, which meant someone was going to come looking for her. Normally she didn't mind, but today she just wanted to be left alone.

"Elsa?" came a voice from behind her.

The arched was slightly surprised at the voice as this was the last person she expected. Normally it was Sif or Thor or sometimes the Warriors Three, but this time it was Frigga.

The Queen wore a dress of silver and gold. It flowed down to her feet like a wave of the ocean. Her blonde hair was bulled into a braid that rested over her right shoulder. She had a motherly smile on her face as she clasped her hands formally in front of her.

"My Queen," said Elsa quickly, "I do not want to be a burden to you."

Elsa began gathering up her arrows and sliding them into the quiver.

"You are no burden," replied Frigga kindly. "I simply wish to see if you are okay."

Elsa slid her last arrow in and looked up. She then noticed that the Queen looked slightly more aged than she had before. Elsa realized that she wasn't the only one grieving. She had been so focused on herself that she forgot about both Frigga and Odin. She forgot that they had lost a son.

Elsa then gave a smile to Frigga, the best she could muster, and gave a slight bow.

"I assure you, I am fine."

Frigga walked up to her with true concern in her eyes. Elsa felt guilt rise in her as smiled some more in hopes that the Queen would believe her and let her go.

"If you ever need to talk, I am here," stated Frigga at last.

Elsa nearly let out a breath of relief. Instead, she nodded and threw the quiver over her shoulder before heading out of the archery range.

* * *

Loki came back to reality as the Other touched him. He felt irritated and anxious. And, although he wouldn't admit it, he felt fear. He had already gone through so much pain, there was no way he could go through more. He had to do this. There was no other option, no other alternative.

He sat there on the ground for a bit longer, shaking slightly. He truly hated this. He hated being used. As much as he hated to admit it, he wanted to go home. He wanted this all to be over so he could be back in Asgard. But then he remembered all the pain that he had felt there. It hit him like a train every time he remembered and it killed him. Asgard wasn't home anymore. No one wanted him there. He didn't have a home.

Loki forced himself to get up, hoping to gain some control of himself. He shouldn't be thinking of Asgard. He knew he would ultimately end up there eventually, but at the moment he needed to focus on the current situation. He then began walking through the base he had made with all the people had taken over. Not too far away was the doctor working on the Tesseract. Standing on the other side of the plastic was Barton.

"Hey!" said Selvig as Loki approached. "The Tesseract has shown me so much. It's more than knowledge, it's... truth."

"I know," answered Loki, with a smirk, his thoughts changing. "What did it show you, Agent Barton?"

"My next target," answered the agent.

"Tell me what you need."

"l'll need a distraction."

Barton took out his bow and Loki felt his chest tighten as he thought of Elsa. He still loved her, but she had betrayed him. But soon she'd learn and realize that she should love him. It was all going to work out. He would prove there was no one for her other than him. He was going prove her wrong and win her love back. Once she saw what he was capable of, she would have no choice.

He was taken out of his thoughts when Barton added one last request, "And an eyeball."

* * *

"This is a disaster!"

Elsa rolled her eyes as she ate the dinner Sabi prepared for her. It was late, but the archer's mother insisted that she make something for her eldest daughter. However, her youngest daughter was having yet another dilemma.

"I think that dress looks wonderful on you," Elsa heard Sabi reply from Eris' room.

"It looks hideous."

"I am sure it does," Elsa muttered to herself.

"I have to look my best!" continued Eris. "Vali is a warrior, I cannot look like I am dressed in rags!"

Sabi gave an exasperated sigh. "It does not look like rags."

"Yes it does! I have seen what other women wear. Those gowns are much more beautiful than this filthy thing."

Elsa heard footsteps and suddenly Sabi came back into the dining area. Her blonde hair was messy and her face appeared rather tired.

"Your sister is finally asked to be courted," she said, "but now nothing is good enough for her."

"That really is not a surprise," replied Elsa with a smirk.

"I am happy she attracted the eye of a warrior, but she needs someone who cannot provide for her. Perhaps then she would not obsessive over material possessions."

More footsteps were heard and Eris walked out in front of them. Once she saw Elsa, her attitude went from bitter to snobby. A smile appeared on the other girl's face as she twirled her dress around.

The dress was blue and had thin straps that went over her shoulders and an open back. It went down to her feet which were encased in white sandals. Her blonde hair was twisted up in a tight bun.

"You look very nice," said Elsa, knowing her sister would hate the compliment.

Eris sneered. "I do look nice. Do I not, mother?"

"Please, it is too late for a fight," answered Sabi tiredly.

There was a knock on the front door of the cabin they lived in. Eris' face lit up as she attempted to run towards the door in her dress.

"It must be Vali!" she exclaimed.

From where Elsa sat, she Eris open the door, but her shoulders slumped, meaning their visitor was not who she had been hoping to see.

"I have been sent to speak with Lady Elsa," came a deep male voice.

Elsa stood up quickly, assuming the worst. Was a realm under attack? Was someone ill or dead? Was something bad going to happen?

With a million questions running through her head, she began walking towards the door as Eris pouted and walked away. The man standing the door wore the golden armor of a palace guard and was most likely acting as a messenger. There were two other men standing behind him, but were facing the other way, watching the rest of the Outerland with careful eyes.

"Yes?" Elsa asked the guard, her heart racing with anticipation.

"Prince Thor wishes to see you," said the guard. "He says it is urgent."

He then bowed and left the property with the other two guards, most likely heading back towards the palace.

Elsa had no idea what Thor would want, but it couldn't be that bad, could it?

She stood there for a moment before turning around to look at her mother and sister. Sabi nodded at Elsa as if to tell her to go will Eris narrowed her eyes, probably thinking that Elsa and Thor were having some sort of relationship. Elsa nodded back at Sabi and walked out of the cabin, closing the door behind her. She then walked through the village and towards the palace.

About twenty minutes later, Elsa arrived at the grand entrance to the golden palace of Asgard. Several guards stood on the steps leading up. They all bowed to Elsa politely due to her warrior status as she walked past them. Normally she would have responded, but her mind was racing. The more she thought, the more she realized that this couldn't be good. Thor, or really anyone, had never summoned her this late unless something bad was going on. The last time was a few days after she had become a warrior and the dark elves had supposedly found a secret passage into Asgard. They were easily fought off though. However, this time felt different. She hadn't been told to bring her weapon.

Before she knew it, Elsa had entered Odin's throne room, hoping to find Thor in there. It seemed she was right, but he was not alone. Both Odin and Frigga were with him as well as an old woman with dozens of wrinkles, wearing a dark cloak as well as Heimdall. Frigga had tears running down her cheeks, but she looked happy at the same time. Odin appeared frazzled while Thor managed to look both angry and thrilled at the same time. The old woman looked as though she were hearing some really good gossip and Heimdall still had his usual calm expression.

"You must let me go!" shouted Thor, using Mjolnir to point in a random direction.

"You should not go alone!" argued Odin.

"Go where?" asked Elsa as she approached the group.

Everyone then turned to look at her. Frigga looked like she wanted to run forward and embrace the archer. The old woman jumped at bit with excitement.

"I told you not to summon her," muttered Odin to Thor just loud enough that Elsa heard him.

"Why should he have not summoned me? What is going on?"

"Loki is alive," replied Thor.

Elsa's heart stopped. She certainly hadn't been expecting that. But it couldn't be true, right? He was dead. Both Thor and Odin saw him let go on the bridge. They had all mourned for him. He couldn't be alive. But Thor doesn't lie. He has never lied. Elsa knew this was something he would tell the truth about. This would definitely explain why everyone looked the way they did.

"Where is he? How is he alive? We must go get him!"

Elsa felt as though she were hyperventilating and Thor stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders with his big hands.

"He is on Midgard," answered Thor. Heimdall saw him. He - he is not the same Elsa."

"I do not care. We must get him and bring him home!"

"I know." Thor turned back to Odin. "Elsa will venture with me. We can bring him back."

"Did you not hear Heimdall when he told of the destruction Loki has caused?" asked Odin. "He killed mortals!"

"And the faster we bring him home the better!"

Elsa felt slightly sick to her stomach. Loki was killing Midgardians? That didn't sound like him, no matter how emotionally unstable he was. They needed to find him as fast as possible.

"You heard what Volla said," argued Thor, now pointing to the old woman with Mjolnir. "This will only get worse if we do not hurry."

Odin stood contemplating for a moment, looking back and forth between Thor and Elsa. He appeared to be debating in his head.

"Alright," he said at last. "You will both go to retrieve Loki. But there is something else you must retrieve."

"And what is that?" asked Thor.

"It is called the Tesseract. The mortals were studying it and now Loki has it. It must be taken from him. With its power, he is unstoppable."

Thor nodded while Elsa tried to keep her legs from turning to jello.

"Elsa," said Odin, bringing her attention to him, "go and get your weapon and saw goodbye your family. You are leaving tonight."

Elsa nodded and quickly left the room without another word. She quickly left the palace and ran towards the Outerland.

No one was out as she rushed towards the cabin at the end. She ran up the front steps and burst inside. Sabi looked up in surprise from the kitchen table where she appeared to be working on some sort of tapestry.

"Elsa?" she asked. "What is wrong?"

"Loki is alive," answered Elsa as she grabbed her quiver and slung it over her shoulder. "Thor and I are going to go get him."

"He's - he's alive?"

Elsa picked up her bow and slung that around herself too. She then grabbed the armor she had taken off and put it back on again.

"He is on Midgard," continued the archer. "He - he's killed mortals."

Sabi looked her daughter with sadness. "Then you must go."

Elsa gave a small smile before embracing her mother.

"I will be back soon," she muttered.

"I'll tell Eris that you are on a mission for the All-father when she gets back," replied Sabi.

Elsa nodded and pulled away. "I love you, mother."

"I love you, too, Elsa."

* * *

Elsa sprinted back to the palace as fast as she could. When she entered the throne room again, both Heimdall and Volla were gone and Frigga was hugging her son. Odin held Gungnir in his hand and his one eye looked tired.

"I am ready," said Elsa as she came to a stop, slightly breathless.

Frigga then came over and hugged Elsa.

"Be safe," she commanded. "Keep them both safe."

Elsa nodded. "I shall try my best."

Frigga smiled and allowed the archer to stand next to Thor.

"How are we going to get there?" Elsa asked him. "The Bifrost was destroyed."

"My father will be using dark magic," answered the thunder god with a slight frown. "It is the only way."

Odin came to stand in front of the pair. "Are you both prepared?"

They nodded, ready to be casted down to Earth.

Odin raised and pointed Gungnir at them. "Good luck."

Before either of them could respond, a blast came from Gungnir and the two were sucked into a what felt like a tunnel for a matter of seconds. And then they hit Earth.


	4. Chapter Three

**Hey everyone. Like I always say, I'm sorry for the wait, but thanks for being patient. I got caught up reading some really good Supernatural fanfiction. As for all of you reading my other story, I am working on the next chapter and it will hopefully be uploaded before the Hobbit comes out. Anyway, here's the chapter woo!**

**Kat7CA: Don't worry, it's not ending! I'm just super busy and don't have enough time to write.**

**LianaDare8: Sorry about her being heartbroken. She'll get pretty badass soon, I promise.**

**MusicManiacGirl: Hopefully this chapter will hold you over for now!**

**Guest: Don't worry about it. And I will make a sequel during Thor 2. I seriously can't wait for it.**

**General of the BVB Army: Thank you very much!**

**loki charms: I totally understand haha.**

**Sioux 3 loki: Thanks for understanding. These last few months of the year are always so hectic.**

**PurpleReader29: Heck yeah! It's time for her to save his ass.**

**Guest: Don't worry about the pleases. At least I know you love the story haha.**

**Cerca39: Thank you! I feel pretty bad for him too, especially because I'm an evil writer.**

**blown-transistor: Thank you! I've fallen behind on reading too haha.**

**Guest: Wow, thanks! I just felt like Loki needed a warrior lover instead of just another regular Aesir.**

**Justasmalltowngirl2713: Ahahaha Eris should fall into the fiery pit of Muspelheim yeah.**

**Reaper Airuisha: Don't worry, as much as I will try to follow the movie, I will be putting in as many extra scenes as possible to expand the story so it's not just the movie over again.**

**Lara: Thank you very much! I cannot wait for Thor 2 or at least for a picture of Loki like how hard is it to give us that!**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Elsa groaned as she hit something hard. Her eyes were shut tight, tight enough for white specks of light to appear in the blackness. She was on her back on a rough surface and could tell that she definitely wasn't in Asgard anymore. She could smell what seemed to be a forest, but it had more of a wood smell than what Asgard had. She could hear animals scurrying about and leaves rustling in the wind.

At last, Elsa finally opened her eyes. She stared up at a dark night sky that was full of stars. She looked around her and saw that she had hit many of the trees on her way down; hard enough for them to be destroyed. She then slowly sat up as the pain started to fade and realized that she had left and imprint in the dirt where she had landed.

"Thor?" Elsa called out.

There was no answer, though she was sure she could hear some commotion farther into the forest. She figured that she must have miscalculated where to land and had ended up off course. Elsa only hoped she wasn't too far away from Thor.

Standing up, Elsa checked her bow and arrows to make sure they were alright. Considering that she made them with magic, there was no way they would break, but it was simply instinct for her to check. Elsa brushed the dirt off of her armor and shook her hair, letting the brown waves fall to her shoulders. There was no point in fixing it now.

Elsa then began her journey through the forest. She swore she could hear some loud, unidentifiable noises coming from a certain direction and started towards that destination. Her legs hurt slightly from her hard landing, but it was bearable. All she could think about was finding Thor.

Out of nowhere came a huge explosion.

Panicked, Elsa took off running as fast as she could towards where I came from. She had felt the blast of it and was nearly knocked off her feet, but had regained her balance and sprinted. That had to be Thor, but the question was, what caused him to use his hammer?

Elsa stumbled into the now destroyed forest and looked around in horror. It looked similar to what she found when she landed, but it was ten times worse. Everything was blown back as if with a mortal hair dryer and in the accidental clearing stood three people, the god of thunder being one of them.

"Thor!" she scolded, looking only at the Asgardian and not at the other two figures she could see. "What are you doing? We are here to find the Tesseract and bring Loki home! Not attack the mortals!"

"They have Loki," answered Thor, looking up to a mountain not too far from their location. "He is up there."

Elsa followed his gaze up where she could just make out a figure. Her heart skipped a beat, but she shook her head.

"Does he know I am here?" she asked softly.

"What does that matter?" asked one of the mortals. Elsa finally turned to look at him. He was dressed in some sort of armored suit that was the colors of yellow and red.

"I have a past with Loki," answered Elsa sadly. "It did not end well."

"So you're close to him?" asked the other human. He had a shield and was wearing a ridiculous outfit with strips and a star.

"I am not sure now, but I was."

"Oh, I see," said the armored one. "You're his girlfriend."

Elsa scoffed. "Do you believe I am merely here because of the love I have for Loki? True, I love him more than I can express in words, but I wish no harm on Earth and her people."

"And how do we know you're not lying?" asked the man of iron.

"Elsa would not lie," argued Thor defensively. "She may love my brother, but she means no harm."

The two mortals stopped paying attention to the Asgardians as they seemed to listen to something and then look back up.

"We're not sure," said the red, white and blue one.

Elsa looked to Thor questioningly, unsure of who they were talking to. He seemed just as confused as she was.

"Roger," said the man of iron to the invisible people.

Out of nowhere, a flying fortress came out of nowhere and floated in the sky. The man of iron put out his arms and took off flying towards it leaving a streak of light following him. Thor looked at Elsa who nodded at him, signaling for him to follow.

"So your name is Elsa?" asked the mortal that was left after Thor had flown up to the monster in the air.

The archer nodded.

The mortal gave a nice smile. "I'm Steve Rogers. You'll have to come with us, if you don't mind."

She nodded again. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you, too, ma'am."

Elsa arches her eyebrows, having never been called that name before and was unsure of what it meant. It seemed Rogers didn't notice this as he was focused on the flying fortress that was now moving down to the two of them most likely so they could climb aboard as well.

Elsa's heart started pounding as the machine touched the ground and Rogers signaled for her to go in first. She was reluctant, but seeing Thor in it told her it was safe. She tried not to see the raven-haired man sitting in one of the seats on the side, but couldn't help but feel his eyes boring into her. Rogers followed in behind her, removing his mask as she looked around in awe. There was nothing like this in Asgard.

The man of iron had also removed his mask to reveal a man with dark hair and a short beard rather like Thor's. He had a cocky air about him and he stood proudly. Rogers went up next to him, running a hand through his blonde hair and spoke with a woman in the front of the machine who had a bob of red hair. He said something to her which made her turn back and give a look at Elsa, but then turned back as the machine lifted from the ground.

"What, haven't got anything like this on your planet?" asked the man of iron.

Elsa turned to him and simply shook her head, absentmindedly fiddling with the string of her bow.

"I'm Tony Stark, by the way," he continued, "and if you're in anyway affiliated with Rudolph we'll have to throw you off this jet."

Elsa looked up at Stark with shock, wondering why he would throw an Asgardian warrior out of this - what was it? - jet.

"Elsa does not now of Loki's plans," defended Thor as if his brother was not sitting nearby.

"Yeah, there's a funny thing called being a spy," argued Stark.

"You mean to say I am lying?" asked Elsa.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Loki tense and look away.

"Not comfortable with lying?" asked Rogers, also noticing this.

Loki didn't answer and Elsa looked at him for the first time since he had left in a fit of rage before he let go on the Bifrost. She was slightly scared at what she saw. He seemed so...empty. He looked devoid of life, like he was a ghost that was operating without a single thought. She couldn't see his eyes as he refused to look at any of the others now and Elsa didn't speak to him, making it silent the rest of their journey to their destination.

After a rather uncomfortable journey in the jet, they landed on some sort of larger fortress. From what Elsa could see, it was almost as big as the palace in Asgard. She couldn't believe something so big could fly in the air.

* * *

Once they landed, the redheaded woman, whose name Elsa learned was Natasha Romanoff, led them all out of the jet. Romanoff took hold of Loki and led him to several people holding large weapons and wearing heavy armor who then led Loki inside the fortress. Elsa wasn't sure how she felt about Loki being taken away, but she didn't want to say anything. She could tell these people weren't too fond of her and didn't want to make it any worse. They even confiscated her weapon just in case she would attack them. It made her feel positively naked.

Elsa stood next to Thor as a dark man wearing a fully black outfit and an eyepatch walked up to them. He gave off an authoritative vibe and stepped up to them with long strides.

"Rogers, you can head inside," he told the red, white and blue man.

Rogers nodded and gave one last look at the Asgardians before heading inside the fortress followed by Romanoff.

"Nice to see you showed up, Stark," said the dark man.

"Yeah, uh, do you have a place where I could put this?" asked Stark, obviously not caring to greet this other man.

"Coulson!" shouted the dark man. "Take Stark to put his suit away."

Elsa thought that name sounded slightly familiar and when she looked over at the man that walked up to Stark, she recognized him as Son of Coul.

Coulson nodded respectfully at the two of them before taking Stark away who was complaining about the temperature of the air. This now left only Elsa and Thor with the stranger.

"Welcome back to Earth, Thor," he said. "My name is Nick Fury. And I have to say, I wasn't expecting more than one of you."

Elsa bit her tongue. She wanted to defend herself and tell the truth about her and Loki, but no one seemed to trust her when they found this out.

"Her name is Elsa," Thor answered when she didn't speak. "She is a warrior of Asgard."

Fury sighed. "Let's just hope you're better at not causing destruction."

Fury then led them into the fortress. It was slightly overwhelming at first when she saw all of the devices on board. She had no idea what significance they had and found herself intrigued by them. In Asgard they had nothing like this. It made her wonder if Midgard had advanced beyond what Asgard was even capable of.

After passing many rooms of equipment, the two were finally led into what seemed to be a center of commanding. People were hurrying about carrying papers and clipboards. They wore suits that all looked alike and talked into strange things in their ears. None of them seemed to notice the arrival of Thor and Elsa. The archer found herself transfixed while looking out the large glass window that showed the night sky.

"Have a seat," said Fury, though he didn't sound incredibly friendly.

Elsa looked at the table that Fury motioned too and then turned to him, only to see him walk out. She looked back at the table and saw that Rogers was seated there, spinning his chair a bit as well as Romanoff who wore a straight face, avoiding eye contact with everyone. Another man stood off to the side. He wore a purple shirt with dark pants. On his nose sat a pair of glasses and his hair was dark with some streaks of gray.

"You must be Thor," he said when he saw the Asgardians.

He looked a bit uncomfortable as he came over and introduced himself as Bruce Banner. Elsa thought he looked slightly like a nervous deer, like he was afraid of everything around him or perhaps maybe afraid of his own skin.

Thor walked to the front of the table and looked around just as several screens on the table popped up and voices came out of them. Elsa quickly sat down in a seat and watched it.

What she saw was the inside of what seemed to be a round, glass cage. Loki stood near the front where he appeared to be talking to Fury. Elsa's heart ached at the sight of him, wishing that this nightmare was over.

"In case it's unclear, you try to escape, you so much as scratch that glass; thirty thousand feet, straight down in a steel trap," explained Fury. "You get how that works? Ant. Boot."

"It's an impressive cage," answered Loki, stepping back with his arms out and a smile on his face. "Not built, I think, for me."

"Built for something a lot stronger than you."

"Oh, I've heard." Loki turned to look straight at the camera. "The mindless beast, makes play to be the man." Elsa looked up and tried to figure out what he meant, but was unsuccessful and looked back down. "How desperate are you that you call on such lost creatures to defend you."

"How desperate am I?" asked Fury. "You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill cause it's fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did."

"Ooh. It burns you to come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share, and then to be reminded what real power is."

Fury smirked for a second before turning around and started heading out.

"Yeah, well, you let me know if Real Power wants a magazine or something."

The screens vanished and Elsa sat staring at the table. She felt like crying. What in the world happened to Loki during his time away from Asgard? How had he turned so cruel and cold? It hurt Elsa deep inside to see someone she cared about act in such a barbaric manner. This wasn't her Loki. This wasn't the Loki she loved and was willing to fight for. This was a monster that had taken control of his skin and was making him do its dirty work.

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" joked Banner from where he stood.

Elsa looked up at him and then back down at the table.

"Loki's gonna drag this out," said Rogers. "Thor, what's his play?"

"He has an army, called the Chitauri," answered Thor, causing Elsa to look up again, wondering where he found this information. "They're not of Asgard nor any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth, in return, I suspect, for the Tesseract."

"An army," said Rogers, looking one hundred percent done. "From outer space."

"So he's building another portal," figured out Banner. "That's what he needs Erik Selvig for."

"Selvig?" repeated Thor, Elsa also finding this to sound familiar.

"He's an astrophysicist."

"He's a friend."

Elsa suddenly remembered the older man from when she had traveled to Midgard with Sif and the Warriors Three in order to bring Thor back. She sadly realized that she preferred the "I'm going to destroy Jotunheim" Loki compared to "real power" Loki.

"Loki has them under some kind of spell," stated Romanoff, sending a rather angry glance at Elsa. "Along with one of ours."

"I wanna know why Loki let us take him," said Rogers. "He's not leading an army from here."

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki," replied Banner. "That guy's brain is a bag full of cats. You can smell crazy on him."

"Have a care how you speak," defended Thor. "Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard and he is my brother."

"He killed eighty people in two days," Romanoff pointed out dryly.

"...He's adopted."

"He is not the Loki we knew," added Elsa, feeling brave enough to talk.

"So she speaks," joked Banner lightly.

"He was not always like this," Elsa continued.

"That doesn't help us find the people he's taken," spat Romanoff at her with obvious dislike.

Elsa quirked an eyebrow at the redhead before looking at Thor who also didn't seem to understand the hostility.

"I think it's about the mechanics," said Banner, probably sensing the tension rising. "Iridium, what do they need the iridium for?"

"It's a stabilizing agent," came Stark's voice.

Elsa turned in her chair and saw him walking in now wearing different clothes along with Coulson. Stark muttered something to the agent before turning back to the rest of them and putting his hands in his pockets.

"It means the portal won't collapse on itself like it did at SHIELD," Stark continued. He walked past Thor, stopping just to pat him on the arm with the back of his hand. "No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing." He then continued on. "Also, it means it can open as wide and stay open as long as Loki wants."

Stark then walked up to what seemed to be the center of all the screens and gave some strange orders to the agents that Elsa didn't understand.

"That man is playing Galaga!" he said, pointing towards someone. "Thought we wouldn't notice, but we did."

Elsa had no idea what Galaga was and was finding this man to be even stranger than she originally thought. She watched him put a hand over one of his eyes and then take it away.

"How does Fury even see these?" he asked as though genuinely curious.

"He turns," answered a woman with dark hair pulled back in a bun.

"That sounds exhausting." Stark then started sliding things around on the screens. "The rest of the raw materials Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. The only major component he still needs is a power source of high energy density. Something to...kick start the cube."

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?"

"Last night. The packet, Selvig's notes, the Extraction Theory papers - am I the only who did the reading?"

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" asked Rogers.

"He got to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier," replied Banner, the words going right over Elsa's head.

"Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect," argued Stark.

"Well, if he could do that he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet."

"Finally, someone who speaks English."

"Is that what just happened?" asked Rogers as Stark approached Banner with an outstretched arm.

"It's good to meet you, Doctor Banner," said Stark, shaking his hand. "You're work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

Elsa looked up in alarm, remembering Loki referring to someone as a "mindless beast" when he was talking with Fury.

"Thanks," Banner merely responded.

"Doctor Banner is only here to track the cube," said Fury, entering the room to join them all once more. "I was hoping you might join him."

"Let's start with that stick of his," suggested Rogers. "It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon."

"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube," replied Fury. "And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."

"Monkeys?" asked Thor. "I do not understand."

"I do!" exclaimed Rogers looking very proud of himself while Stark rolled his eyes. "I understood that reference."

Everyone looked around in a bit of an awkward silence. Out of the corner of Elsa's eye, she saw Banner and Stark leaving, most likely to do their job. Romanoff got up and went over to talk to Coulson and Rogers looked a little lost, as if he wasn't sure what to do. Thor came over to Elsa who was too nervous about everything to move.

"Should I speak with him?" she asked the thunder god quietly.

"I doubt any of our words would have any effect on him," answered Thor sadly. "His mind is warped beyond repair."

Elsa shook her head. "I cannot be. There must be some hope."

"It is possible, but I find it very unlikely." Thor seemed to notice how unnerved the archer was an placed a caring hand on her arm, making her look up at him. "I trust that we will find a way, Elsa. When I spoke with him on the mountain, he seemed worried about you."

Elsa's heart leapt into her throat. "What did he say?"

"He did not say much, but when I mentioned how you mourned, I swear to Odin there was guilt and worry in his eyes. It was for a mere second though."

"Do you think I should speak with him?"

Thor gave a shrug and crossed his large arms over his chest. "I suppose it could not do any harm to try."

Elsa took a deep breath. This was going to be a long night.


	5. Chapter Four

**I'm just going to skip the excuses and get on with the chapter.**

**Loki'd Again: Thanks! I agree, he probably should've flirted :)**

**Guest: I'm glad you think she's cool. Perhaps the Avengers will think so too.**

**22SoundzofSilence: Haha, you're welcome! Consider this a super late Easter present.**

**Cerca39: Yay! It's such a great scene when they find him!**

**LianaDare8: I hope everything works out too.**

**Reja Nuha: Wow, thank you! I agree that there's so many tragic endings. I hoped to do something different and I'm glad you like it!**

**allwriter01: Muahaha you will have to read to find out.**

**I.B: Thank you! I hope for a happy ending as well. Thank you so much.**

**Guest: Thank you so much! Sorry for the wait.**

**MusicalLover17: Thank you very much!**

**188dragon06: Thanks so much! Hopefully I can keep your interest.**

**Guest: Sorry for the wait!**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

It was a warm, sunny day in Asgard as a teenaged Elsa sat up in a large ash tree. The branch that supported her was thick and uncomfortable, but it was more soothing than being at home. She held in her hands unfinished arrows and a knife she had "borrowed" from a neighbor. She had just made it out of the home with the knife when she ran straight into Olga, who warned her that the dancing leaves were to rise that night. Just like she did with everything Olga said, she ignored it and had gone on her way.

It was peaceful in the forest - the leaves on the trees were rustling softly as a spring breeze shifted them around. Small animals scampered across the forest floor on a hunt for food. Baby birds chirped in their nests, awaiting the arrival of their mothers. Back home, Eris had been craving attention so she, naturally, started a fight. At this point, Elsa couldn't even remember what it was about. All she could hear was the sounds of nature; so beautiful and so safe.

Of course, saying it was safe was too soon. Elsa froze when she heard an unnatural noise. It wasn't necessarily unnatural to a forest, but it certainly wasn't familiar to Elsa's ears. Thus, her body tensed and her breathing got considerably quieter as she listened for it again.

And there it was. It was a growl of some type of animal. She had heard the growls of bears and other monstrous beasts, but she had never heard this one before. It frightened her more than she cared to admit, even to herself. She held her position in the tree as the shrubbery rustled down below. There was a small clearing where the tree protruded out of the ground, and from the bushes and into the clearing came two large wolves. One was dark, nearly dark as the night sky. The other was much lighter, almost like snow. They slowly strolled along, sniffing the ground with their long noses, their ears up and on alert.

Then Elsa made her mistake.

She had hoped to get away once she eyed the teeth each wolf had. They were sharp, like the tips of the spears made by the sons of Ivaldi. Pearly white and dangerous, Elsa would take no chance with them. But in her attempt, she cracked a thin branch as she tried to make a descent. She stood in place, her body frozen but her heart beating faster than the Bifrost could open. The wolves heard it and she watched with dread filling her that they could clearly see her.

They bared their teeth in a snarl, their once adorable features vanishing as their mouths salivated at the prospect of dinner. Elsa quickly weighed her choices. She could try climbing higher up or jump and run. She figured that she wouldn't be able to outrun the wolves, and if she could she would just lead them to the village where they would gobble down the food like it was Yule. So up the tree it was.

This was Elsa's second mistake.

Perhaps she could have outrun them, perhaps she could have even shot them; but instead she attempted to get as much distance as she could between her and the wolves. Sadly, one of the branches she placed a foot on was much weaker than she anticipated and it snapped in half from the pressure. She lost her footing and her grip on the tree, instantly falling to the ground with a painful thump. She kept her eyes closed as pain went through her head and then the rest of her body. If she had know any better, she would say the wolves began laughing.

The next thing Elsa knew, the wolves were on her. They bit and they scratched. She thrashed on the ground, kicking them as hard as she could. Screams ripped from her throat from the pain and the fear that initiated a burst of adrenaline. But her attempts of escape were futile.

This is it, Elsa thought, I am going to be ripped apart by wolves.

She felt blackness threatening to take over her vision. She was beginning to feel weaker and weaker and for some reason, the wolves were being less violent with their attack. After a moment, she realized they were gone. She fought to keep her eyes open, but everything was blurry. Her whole body was in pain and she felt wet, like it had been raining. And before she finally slipped into unconsciousness, she heard someone call her name.

Elsa woke up slowly and soon wouldn't even remember the moment she came back to consciousness. The first thing she was aware of was the sound of voices. They were quiet as if a baby was sleeping peacefully nearby and they wished not to wake it. She quickly realized that she was this baby. Then came the feeling of the bed. It was soft - possibly the softest bed she had ever laid upon - and the blankets over her embraced her in a tight hold. Last there was pain. It stretched from her stomach down to her shins. It wasn't terrible pain, but more like burning sensation she would feel after running for longer than she could handle.

"They will be punished, Sabi, I promise," said one of the voices. "Dear Elsa is fortunate that my son was nearby."

Elsa heard the other person - Sabi she supposed - take in a deep breath and then say, "What was your son doing so close to our home?"

"I know not his intentions for traveling that direction, but I suppose it was to visit your daughter."

"I suppose..."

The voices stopped now and Elsa took this as her cue to try opening her eyes. She expected it to be hard, but it was surprisingly easy. She stared up at a golden ceiling for only a brief moment before making the connection that she was in the palace of Asgard. Clearly her injuries were worse than what she felt. The healers in the palace were the best of the best and could heal just about anything in mere minutes. Considering that Elsa had been resting and that dull burn she felt was still there, she obviously wasn't fully healed at this point.

Once her sight had focused better, she attempted to sit up and felt a sharp pang go throughout her abdomen. She clenched her teeth, but couldn't suppress the grunt that escaped her. The two women in the room - now confirmed as Sabi and Frigga - rushed over to her. Both wore concerned expressions on their aging faces. They went on opposites sides of the bed, which Elsa now saw was massive compared to her thinner frame.

"Elsa," said Sabi, "how do you feel?"

Elsa moved again and inevitably felt more pain. "Like I was just stabbed with Gungnir."

Frigga smiled kindly while Sabi seemed to take it quite literally; however she refrained from saying anything and instead pursed her lips ever so slightly.

"You were attacked by Geri and Freki," continued Frigga. "They are my husband's wolves. I am unsure why they were so far away from here, and I am terribly sorry for what they did."

At this, Frigga's eyes unconsciously moved to Elsa's source of pain. Elsa moved the blankets away from her and saw that most of her abdomen was bandaged with white cloth. There was no blood, thankfully, and therefore she concluded that the bleeding had stopped before they had changed the bandages last.

"How did - who saved me?" Elsa asked.

Sabi had a look of annoyance on her face that Elsa knew too well. Frigga didn't have to even say his name, but she did anyway.

"Loki."

It certainly didn't bother Elsa that Loki had been nearby at the time. For all she knew, if he hadn't she would be dead. She was thankful, in fact. Though, of course, she would never be able to live the fact she was almost killed by wolves down. There were warriors who faced Dark Elves and Jotuns with barely any scratches. It made her look weak. She prayed to the Norns that Loki wouldn't think any less of her and desire to be rid of her. She wouldn't know what to do.

"He has been asking to see you," said Frigga. This gained Elsa's interest back. "I suppose I should let him in before he sneaks in. Is it alright with you, dear?"

Elsa nodded. Frigga smiled sweetly and gave a reassuring hand squeeze. She then got up and headed towards the door where she stopped and looked at Sabi, who was saying to Elsa, "I will be back later," and kissing her on the forehead.

Once the two women were gone, the room was completely silent. There wasn't much for Elsa to look at. The walls were bare and gold. There was another door and a table where extra bandages laid. Other than that, it was just Elsa and the bed. It was horribly peaceful and incredibly uncomfortable.

The door opened suddenly and Elsa sat up - slowly, of course - as Loki walked in. He was taller than the last time she saw him. His raven hair was slicked back as usual and he stood regally until his eyes focused on her. Concern broke out on his features and he hurried forward with his long legs.

"Elsa!" he exclaimed as he sat down the edge of the bed and took her hand in his. "I am glad to see you alive."

"I am glad to be alive." Elsa wished she could say something more intelligent, but was relishing in the coolness of his hand.

"I thought - I thought I was too late," said Loki, his eyes downcast and avoiding hers. "I was afraid you had died and I could not save you."

"But I am alive now."

Loki wasn't helped by this and instead looked away from her completely. Elsa reached up and forced his head to turn so he would look at her. She smiled lightly and moved forward to wrap her arms around him. Loki was stiff at first - he generally was - but he slowly and gingerly returned the gesture. He didn't hold her tight so as not to hurt her more than she already was, but it was tight enough to make Elsa feel happy in his arms.

"Do not blame yourself, Loki," she mumbled. "You did not hurt me."

"I could never hurt you," he said. "I promise I will never hurt you."

Elsa leaned back and smiled greater. She felt the most joy she had ever felt when she realized his words were genuine and not some sort of complex lie.

Loki cleared his throat. "You should rest."

"I do not-"

"_Rest_."

Elsa stuck out her tongue playfully and leaned back comfortably against the giant pillows.

"Stay with me?" she asked as she closed her eyes.

Considering she was partly asleep at this point, she wasn't perfectly sure if she heard his response correctly, but it sounded something like, "I will never leave you."

* * *

Elsa's heart pounded as Coulson led her to where Loki was being kept. It felt like if her heart went any faster it would be bursting out of her chest. She couldn't even hear Coulson has he rattled off facts about Rogers who was apparently known as Captain America to most people. Personally, she really didn't really care. She was feeling shaky as they kept getting a step closer. It was strange to think she would be seeing Loki again. As much as she despised his actions, she could at least sympathize with him. She saw where he had been coming from and, despite what he did, she still loved him.

They eventually reached a door and Coulson walked up to some sort of device where he tapped his finger on. Whatever it was, it opened the door and he motioned for Elsa to go inside.

She slowly walked in and she heard the door shut behind her. She turned around to look at it before continuing forward. She took a deep breath and walked up the steps in front of her. As she went up, Loki came into view. He was pacing back and forth in his cage rather like a lion in captivity. Elsa had seen him do this many times before and had always considered it his bad habit. He had done it on many occasions, but mostly when he was annoyed or bored. However, his expression was blank and rather stoic.

She fought the urge to run forward and try to get inside the cage so she could wrap her arms around him. For Odin's sake, this was the man she didn't know she was in love with before it was too late. But this Loki was different. He killed innocent people. And he didn't care about it. Elsa was simply praying to the Norns that they would allow her to get through to him. She wanted him back desperately now that she knew he was alive. Had it really been only a day ago that he had been dead? It felt like ages ago.

Elsa kept walking up to the cage and she was nearly close enough to touch it when Loki noticed her presence. He stopped his pacing and simply stood there, staring at her. She watched several emotions cross his face in a matter of seconds. The first was happiness, something she hadn't expected to see. Then came guilt and anger and hurt.

"Can I help you?" he asked coolly.

Elsa felt a twinge in her chest as his words and took a deep shaky breath, trying to calm herself. She didn't want him to see her cry. Yes, they'd be tears of overwhelming joy to truly see him alive and to be alone with him as well as the feeling of betrayal that was surfacing, but he'd think her weak. She needed to be strong.

At first Elsa was going to ask where the Tesseract was, but she realized that it was too soon. Perhaps she could gain his trust again through talking. If they could be on good terms, maybe he'd tell her the location or at least his plans.

"Why did you let go?" she asked instead.

Confusion crossed his face. He hasn't anticipated it. That was a good start. It was always an advantage to have the upper hand when speaking with Loki. "What?" he asked.

"Why did you let go?" she continued. "On the bridge. You let go, why?"

When Loki didn't answer, Elsa continued some more.

"There were people that loved you, Loki, me being one of them. Do you realize how much we mourned, how much we missed you? Do you even know the pain we went through? Your family-"

"I am not a part of that family," he interrupted venomously.

Elsa clenched her fists. "Then what about me? Am I not family? Do you no longer have a care about me?"

Loki sighed angrily and began pacing again, avoiding her questions. He was annoyed now, she could see it.

"You do, don't you?" Elsa asked, her voice stronger as she played the guilty card, something that had worked on him all of their lives. "You do care about me. But if you do, why would make me suffer?"

"You made me suffer, Elsa," he spat back. "With all of your lies-"

"So that is what this is about?" Elsa cut him off, temper rising. "You still think I lied to you?"

"You left-"

"To get Thor because you were out of your mind! It was not because I preferred him over you, it was to help you because I love you."

Loki opened his mouth to retort, but closed it again. It appeared he couldn't come up with any kind of response.

"Your silver tongue can't get you out of everything," Elsa continued. "And what was that with the Director? What happened to you, Loki? What happened to the man I love?"

"I am not that man anymore," Loki answered quietly.

Elsa knew she was getting somewhere. If Loki wasn't sounding strong like he always did, she had hit a vulnerable spot. She had forced him to let his guard down and soon enough, emotions would be flooding onto his face like a dam that exploded under pressure. She watched as his eyes were cast downwards and then were picked up to look at her. For this small moment, she didn't see a killer; a man beyond repair. She saw a broken soul; a man that was screaming for help.

"It is not too late to fix things," Elsa replied slowly as if talking to a child. "Just let me help you."

Loki shook his head, the recent stoic look back on his face. He regained control of what he showed and lifted his chin defiantly.

"I do not need help," he nearly hissed at her. "The mortals need a ruler. I can be that."

"No, Loki," Elsa answered. "The mortals are not your responsibility."

"They are not yours either, Elsa."

"Yes, but you are."

Loki clenched his jaw and looked back at the camera that watched over his cage. He then looked back at Elsa who remained straight faced. She had gotten much better at hiding things.

"Go," he commanded suddenly. "Go back to Asgard."

Elsa furrowed her brow. "Why would I?"

"It is not safe for you."

After a moment of thought, Elsa smiled but it wasn't a happy one. She then scoffed and raised her eyebrows

"You dare tell me it is not safe?" she asked, her temper flaring. "Who was it that saved your life in Muspelheim when you were surrounded?"

"Elsa, stop-"

"And who was it that stole herbs for you that were guarded by the most viscous warriors in Asgard?"

"Elsa-"

"I am not doing what you tell me to do!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the room, surprising the mischief god.

Elsa's frustration had reached its limit. She thought back to when he said he would never hurt her and never leave her. She felt selfish to wish he had kept his word considering the unhappiness that had embraced him in Asgard, but regardless he had never betrayed her in such a way before. She had never understood why he had treated her differently than others - now, of course, it was quite clear - but he had never back stabbed her. He had never used her to his advantage. He had never hurt her.

Now that changed.

Elsa took a long needed deep breath. She closed her eyes tight; tight enough to look like she was in pain. Granted she was - her head hurt and her heart hurt - but she was simply trying to wish herself back to Asgard where Loki wasn't turning into a remorseless mass murderer. When she opened her eyes and saw Loki still standing in that cage, they stung with unshed tears.

"I am giving you one last chance," said Elsa quietly. "Give up and come home, or I...I will have to fight you."

For one split second, it seemed like Loki was going to finally cave. She saw his eyes flash with regret and guilt and he opened his mouth to speak. But it was gone as fast as it had come. He was back to being stoic and unresponsive. His hands were behind his back and his legs spaced in a power stance.

"Then I hope you stay out of my way," was his response.

If possible, Elsa's heart broke even more.

She had no reply to his implied threat. She loved having the last word, but she was afraid she would either breakdown or throw a tantrum. She preferably didn't want to do either. So instead, she turned on her heel and headed out the door.


End file.
